


Making Excuses

by alafaye



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-21 23:51:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They find a way to stay friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Excuses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pamymex3girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pamymex3girl/gifts).



> Written for pamymex3girl who asked for "When Gwen first became queen she needed a lot of help, Merlin was the one who helped the most."

Merlin was still not used to just entering Arthur's rooms without waiting for a command. He would knock and then enter without any prompting. But now that Gwen had moved into the rooms, Merlin was often caught out, wrong footed. Merlin knew that several of the courtiers thought that the royal couple should be in separate rooms, but nobody could really see that happening.

Nevertheless, it presented a small challenge to Merlin. He still blushed whenever he thought of the half dozen times he'd walked in as Gwen and her hand maiden were dressing her and he had several curious blank spots in his memory that he knew involved Gwen and Arthur in a few positions that called for him to not remember. At all.

Merlin cleared his throat, unfortunately catching Gwen's attention.

She looked more asleep than awake and her hair was all over the place. Her fingers were stained with ink and there was a stain on her elbow that looked like tea. Maybe.

"Sorry," Merlin muttered. "Didn't mean to--I swear, I'll learn one day. I won't keep walking in. I'll just...go now."

Their old friendship was literally that--old. She's become so busy some days that he doesn't see her and even though she is still delightfully bubbly, the demands and stresses of being a queen are taking their toll. He misses the old days, when they were both servants, and he wonders if she does, as well.

"It's all right, Merlin," she yawned. "Just bringing in new sheets."

Merlin nodded, holds up the sheets. "Suppose I'll put these on the bed. If that's all right?"

She stared at him for the longest time and he began to fidget before she nodded. He's consciously aware of her still staring as he makes up the fresh linen.

"Merlin?" she called softly as he finished.

"Yeah?" He kept his hands behind his back, squeezing his fingers together to keep them from going everywhere in his nervousness.

She pats the seat next to her and then points to the speech she's been putting together. "I can't figure out where to go from here. I know you helped Arthur with his--could you help me?"

"Ah, well, I--" 

"Please?"

He can't say no. So, with a sigh, he pulls what she's written toward himself and reads it over. And then wraps it up neatly. She beams at him when it's done. "Thank you so much! I would have been here for hours doing that--you're a great help."

"Yeah, well, I try," Merlin said. "Arthur is pants at speeches, I had to get good at them or else."

She laughed softly. "True enough. Well, now that that is written, I find myself with a few hours to spare. How about we stay up here and talk? It feels like forever since we have and I am dying to know all of the gossip."

Her bright eyes and earnest words win him over and he finds himself spilling everything. When Arthur finds them later, they're laughing so hard they have tears in their eyes. To this day, he still doesn't understand what was so funny. And Merlin...he keeps finding excuses to be nearby to help Gwen with her duties. Their old friendship isn't so old anymore.


End file.
